Donald Sterling Control of Clippers to Shelly, to Sell?

Donald Sterling is no longer the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Clippers ... TMZ Sports has learned he just surrendered control to his estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, and she is now secretly negotiating with the NBA to sell the team ... ON HER TERMS.
Sources close to the Clippers organization tell us ... Donald made the decision because he saw the handwriting on the wall -- as long as he remained in control, the NBA would order an involuntary sale of the team.
Our sources say Shelly and her lawyer, Pierce O'Donnell, have been secretly meeting with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver....

This actually looks legit? Who cares that she is allowed to approve the sale, as long as it is to a legit ownership group? I am guessing they just want to make sure they get the highest price possible??

Jerediscool

05/23/2014 - 09:49 AM PST

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This is probably their way of just making sure that magic or any of these other celebrity groupings don't get the team

jerdogthompson

05/23/2014 - 10:03 AM PST

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Seems to be unadulterated posturing on behalf of Shelly via proxy of DTS. I really don't think that the NBA will allow her or anyone else to dictate who can bid or eventually buy the Clippers. I mean c'mon, can you picture Shelly telling Adam, my husband doesn't want African Americans at the game so how could we possibly sell the team to Magic? No way Adam would allow her to dictate something even remotely close to that.

On a side note, I was watching CNBC at lunch yesterday and there were two fellows debating about municipal bonds, etc......at the end of the conversation the CNBC talking head out of the blue asks the guy (forgot the name) if he wanted to buy the Clippers? It caught me totally off guard, his response was, when I first heard of it I called my rich friends (paraphrasing) and said we should buy the Clippers. I mention it only for the fact that the interest to buy the Clippers reaches WELL beyond that of Oprah, Magics group, etc.......

I wonder if the league reaches an amicable arrangement with Shelly if they will still follow through with the vote on 6/3. I also wonder if the players facility in (Playa Vista?) would be part of the sale or if DTS would keep that for spite? Knowing him he would demand a 100 year lease, which is fine as long as he stays far, far away from the team.

Couldn't have asked for better news heading into the weekend!!!!! Getting this resolved before the start of next season makes a world of difference to our current players and any FA we want to attract. Go Clippers!!

#InDocwetrust

clipper*joe

05/23/2014 - 10:08 AM PST

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Bingo!

can't say I ain't happy about that. I hope Geffen gets it. Make it happen!

Magic really spinned what DTS said and a lot of you guys fell for it. DTS didn't say he didn't want blacks coming to the games. He said he didn't want Tranny bringing any black guys to the game, including Magic. That was a lie Magic was spewing and a lot of people bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Jerediscool

05/23/2014 - 10:42 AM PST

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@joe, I hope its Geffen too. With him having tried o buy it before you know he's not just one of these guys coming out trying to buy any team that becomes available.

jerdogthompson

05/23/2014 - 10:44 AM PST

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Quite frankly I like what Magic did. It only served to galvanize public opinion against DTS.

This story is now all over the place so it's for sure legit and lets hope the players (buyers) work all weekend and get the team sold before the vote. Its a stretch but.........

#InDocwetrust

TheDude

05/23/2014 - 10:47 AM PST

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Just got to watch the CNN interview in entirety. He states that Magic called him twice after initial release of tapes and told him to keep quiet so he could squash it. Then of course Magic did the opposite. Donald believes Magic orchestrated the whole thing and it seems plausible to me. That alone should be enough to eliminate Magic from prospective buyers list.

Give me Ellison, Geffen, Oprah, I don't care who as long as they're filthy rich and want to buy championships. Just not Magic Johnson.

jerdogthompson

05/23/2014 - 10:50 AM PST

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Clipper*Joe

I hear what your saying, however, as my post indicated perception becomes reality (Buddha I believe) and you are correct. However, the court of public opinion is what were really talking about right? The perception is DTS didn't want any African Americans at his game, even though the comment was specific to that tranny and Magic coming together to the game.

I'm loving this, the fact that DTS realized he was screwed, left him no alternative than to turn over control. Can you imagine after getting his way for 40plus years all the time how excruciatingly painful that decision was?

#InDocwetrust

cleepers

05/23/2014 - 11:15 AM PST

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Careful, mate. We're not allowed to disparage Magic (AKA: the Clippers' savior) around these parts, despite his tampering in this situation from day 1.

Joe and I have been calling shenanigans since the jump, but it seems some people have the same "anyone but him" attitude towards Sterling as they did towards Vinny.

They were so eager to be rid of Vinny that they'd have been happy with a rookie head coach... even though we eventually got Doc, and now they're so eager to be rid of Sterling that they'd settle for an owner who just last week was telling any media outlet who'd listen that he'd rather own the lakers... even though we could end up with somebody who has wanted the team for years.

Anyway, regarding this story... I think it's just a delaying tactic. Drag her heels over the sale until Donald pops off so the family avoids that nasty capital-gains tax. NBA isn't going to bite.

FightOnRon

05/23/2014 - 11:29 AM PST

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That is actually what I heard too,but it got taken a different way. Either way the dude had to go so spin away.

You know Shelly is up to some crap though (BTW, NBC is reporting it too). They are too sneaky to be doing this for the good of the team and NBA.

And I am glad I am not the only one to think "she" looks like a tranny.

jerdogthompson

05/23/2014 - 11:29 AM PST

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Cleepers

I disagree whole heartedly, I see this as an admission of what they knew was coming in the future. By doing the sale voluntarily they avoid a collusion of sorts from the potential buyers group. Think about it, if they dragged this thing out it would shed 40% or more of the teams value in an instant. Knowing this the buyers group would wait in the wings with artificially low bids, Shelly is a bad person but probably not ignorant. They have been listening to council since day one and you can be guaranteed their lawyers told them the same thing. The reports of her welcoming a "new dynamic management & ownership team" to the Clippers was well documented as was her desire to maintain her 50%. The NBA would never allow this, after much legal wrestling and negotiations you can be assured it was clear to her that would never fly. Thus here you have the story.................anyways that's my ten cents cause my two cents is free!

#InDocwetrust

FightOnRon

05/23/2014 - 11:31 AM PST

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BTW,how can DTS give control of something he no longer has control of the anyone?

jerdogthompson

05/23/2014 - 11:35 AM PST

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Seems to be largely symbolic in nature, my take is it signals he's calling off the legal fight and allowing his "estranged" wife to get a voluntary sale made. I can't wait to see how this proceeds.

#InDocwetrust

cleepers

05/23/2014 - 11:41 AM PST

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You may be right... none of us really know what's being said behind closed doors. But, if that's the case - that they just want the best price for the team - then there are much better ways of going about it. Sterling could have used his 10 days to bring in a reputable financial analysis firm to put a value on the Clippers (on his own dime, with an unofficial mandate to be "optimistic", of course), then willingly cede control of the team to the NBA and threaten to sue them on antitrust allegations if they sold the Clippers for one cent less than they were valued.

Instead, they've changed the perception of the fight from "NBA vs. racist billionaire" to "NBA vs. little old lady who did nothing wrong."

They've vowed to fight since the very beginning. I think this is just their latest move in the chess game.

JQuick32

05/23/2014 - 11:57 AM PST

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With the news of DTS' friend Antony Ressler prepping a bid for the team, not hard to see why they're doing this. They probably think Ressler can buy the team and then DTS can just still be in charge from a back room. Problem with this plan is that the NBA has to approve the new owners and they don't want any Sterling connections.

wessleejr

05/23/2014 - 12:03 PM PST

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Well i think it's all over the internet now, and a big big news for us Clippers fans. i just read it in this link.

It's one of those delay tactic that the Sterlings like to play as was documented on the LA times article

jarca

05/23/2014 - 12:11 PM PST

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People were disagreeing with you guys caused you fell for his lies and crocodile tears. Magic the following day disputed that claim but you guys put so much stock on Sterling interviews which were filled with lies, delusions, and more racism.

realbull17

05/23/2014 - 12:14 PM PST

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Come on Magic, Oprah buy the clips.

Clippers_FTW

05/23/2014 - 12:32 PM PST

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I'm hoping for the oprah trio... Would clipper games be shown on OWN??

realbull17

05/23/2014 - 01:01 PM PST

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Our tv deal is up very soon. We'll see!

cleepers

05/23/2014 - 01:29 PM PST

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Oh? And where did I say that I felt sorry for Sterling because he cried on TV? Where did I say I believe every word he says?

Once again you fail to grasp the simplest of concepts... that not wanting Magic Johnson to own the team IN NO WAY means that we're advocating for Donald Sterling. I have repeated that over and over again. Your argument is the definition of a straw man. STERLING OR JOHNSON ARE NOT THE ONLY CHOICES! Why is it so hard for you to comprehend that?

Magic has gone back and forth. He has stated numerous times that "as a businessman, of course I would be interested in buying the Clippers" then whenever talk of tampering arises, he backs off. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him.

jarca

05/23/2014 - 01:35 PM PST

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Well you did take what he said about magic calling him as the truth right? Plus you mentioned joe in your post and he said something like Magic is a worse person than Sterling. Those are what got me to reply on the topic in the first place not because I am a magic fan

cleepers

05/23/2014 - 01:47 PM PST

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I don't know if it's the truth or not, but quite frankly I do not trust either of them. Even disregarding Donald's accusations of what Magic said or didn't say, there's no denying that Magic has been out front calling for Donald's head AND expressing interest in buying the team, which is a huge conflict of interest that should remove him from contention.

Added to that, last week he's all over TV saying "If I were going to 'steal' a franchise like that, I wouldn't go for the Clippers... I'd get the lakers."

I find it very disrespectful that he sees us as a consolation prize and isn't afraid to say so publicly, particularly when there is another guy out there who has previously expressed a desire to own the team, with a partner who has enough money to buy and sell all 29 other NBA owners combined, and who has also had the class to not run his big mouth off about what the league and its players' actions should be regarding Sterling.

CapsNClips

05/23/2014 - 01:55 PM PST

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Geffen: "Hey Larry, they say we have to pay some sort of luxury tax"

Ellison: "What the f*** is a "luxury tax?"

Geffen: "Idk, some kind of vegetable??"

Ellison: "Just put it on my Discover card"

REDUCE523

05/23/2014 - 02:32 PM PST

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This would make me so happy. I just know that things are going to be good as long as Sterling sells.

Dunkathon

05/23/2014 - 02:47 PM PST

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Well, looks like you all have more choices than originally thought.

TBH, I would LOVE to see Yao Ming return to the NBA in some form. One of my favorite players, and I'm still sad injuries ended his career. It would be great to see him as a minority owner.

worm

05/23/2014 - 02:50 PM PST

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Stay away Magic! Go Geffen!

Dunkathon

05/23/2014 - 02:55 PM PST

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Won't lie, if everything Simmons said is true, Yao and pals are my personal #1 choice to buy the Clippers.

elton_sucks42

05/23/2014 - 02:59 PM PST

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2.5 billion is crazy. Looks like we have tons of suitors. Dream owner would be geffen, Ellison and Oprah. I can literally see this ownership not giving crap about the luxury tax to bring us our first chip.

JQuick32

05/23/2014 - 03:07 PM PST

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Yao is one of my favorite players ever.... it'd be pretty cool if he bought the team.

Yao Ming, Magic Johnson, and David Geffenwill all own a part of the La Clippers! Shows diversity in the NbA haha

CP3Best

05/23/2014 - 04:22 PM PST

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^Repped! If only we would have such an owner...

cleepers

05/23/2014 - 04:27 PM PST

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Ironic how June 3rd is also the date of California's primary election. I wish we LA County residents had the Clippers ownership on the ballot.

CapsNClips

05/23/2014 - 05:25 PM PST

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clipper*joe

05/23/2014 - 05:27 PM PST

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Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine 3m

Story posting now to ESPN: Former All-Stars Grant Hill and Yao Ming both assembling separate ownership groups to try to buy Clippers

clippyclip

05/23/2014 - 05:30 PM PST

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I know! Grant Hill would be the perfect ending to this.

FightOnRon

05/23/2014 - 05:55 PM PST

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I just hope whoever does this doesn't strike another effed up deal with TWC as the Dodgers did,then we could be blacked out of the CLippers too. The Dodgers cost the Guggenhiems 2 billion and they sold the fans up the river by selling their rights to TWC so 70% of LA no longer sees the Dodger on TV. That would be messed up if the same thing happens to the Clippers. A Dodger channel, a Laker channel and a Clipper channel all owned by TWC and mostly unwatchable in LA (although i am forced to pay for the Laker channel and have not watched it once ,not even the shows about the Laker girls).

sz123456

05/23/2014 - 07:30 PM PST

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I was really excited to see this news, but I just can't trust anything that comes from those Sterlings. They're up to something.

wessleejr

05/23/2014 - 08:32 PM PST

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Please not Yao Ming and Chinese, Clippers will be 50% Chinese players if this will happen, where is Oprah, Giffin Magic, or Grant Hill.

wessleejr

05/23/2014 - 08:36 PM PST

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I guess if Oprah will buy the Clippers, it will be shown in OWN, a lot of sponsors will line up and it's money, hopefully LBJ will join us.

cleepers

05/23/2014 - 09:34 PM PST

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Grant Hill would be a great "public face" of the franchise, although it's doubtful he'd be the controlling owner... depends who his group is comprised of, and which of them would be calling the shots.

ClipsGForce

05/23/2014 - 10:56 PM PST

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With Oprah, we for sure get a shot upward from women viewers.

cleepers

05/23/2014 - 11:13 PM PST

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Plus, we might find something more exciting than other peoples used gum under our seats at home games!

clipperboy24

05/23/2014 - 11:33 PM PST

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Yao would probably be 10x the owner sterling is. Would be nice to have people in ownership who actually understand basketball.